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arbitrary - 5 dictionary results

ar⋅bi⋅trar⋅y

  [ahr-bi-trer-ee] adjective, noun, plural -trar⋅ies.
Use arbitrary in a Sentence
–adjective
1. subject to individual will or judgment without restriction; contingent solely upon one's discretion: an arbitrary decision.
2. decided by a judge or arbiter rather than by a law or statute.
3. having unlimited power; uncontrolled or unrestricted by law; despotic; tyrannical: an arbitrary government.
4. capricious; unreasonable; unsupported: an arbitrary demand for payment.
5. Mathematics. undetermined; not assigned a specific value: an arbitrary constant.
–noun
6. arbitraries, Printing. (in Britain) peculiar (def. 9).
Origin:
1400–50; late ME < L arbitrārius uncertain (i.e., depending on an arbiter's decision). See arbiter, -ary

Related forms:
ar⋅bi⋅trar⋅i⋅ly  [ahr-bi-trer-uh-lee, ahr-bi-trair-] , adverb
ar⋅bi⋅trar⋅i⋅ness, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To arbitrary
ar·bi·trar·y   (är'bĭ-trěr'ē)   
adj.  
  1. Determined by chance, whim, or impulse, and not by necessity, reason, or principle: stopped at the first motel we passed, an arbitrary choice.
  2. Based on or subject to individual judgment or preference: The diet imposes overall calorie limits, but daily menus are arbitrary.
  3. Established by a court or judge rather than by a specific law or statute: an arbitrary penalty.
  4. Not limited by law; despotic: the arbitrary rule of a dictator.

[Middle English arbitrarie, from Latin arbitrārius, from arbiter, arbitr-, arbiter; see arbiter.]
ar'bi·trar'i·ly (-trâr'ə-lē) adv., ar'bi·trar'i·ness n.
Synonyms: These adjectives mean determined by or arising from whim or caprice rather than judgment or reason: an arbitrary decision; a capricious refusal; a whimsical remark.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Arbitrary

Ar"bi*tra*ry\, a. [L. arbitrarius, fr. arbiter: cf. F. arbitraire. See Arbiter.]

1. Depending on will or discretion; not governed by any fixed rules; as, an arbitrary decision; an arbitrary punishment.

It was wholly arbitrary in them to do so. --Jer. Taylor.

Rank pretends to fix the value of every one, and is the most arbitrary of all things. --Landor.

2. Exercised according to one's own will or caprice, and therefore conveying a notion of a tendency to abuse the possession of power.

Arbitrary power is most easily established on the ruins of liberty abused licentiousness. --Washington.

3. Despotic; absolute in power; bound by no law; harsh and unforbearing; tyrannical; as, an arbitrary prince or government. --Dryden.

Arbitrary constant, Arbitrary function (Math.), a quantity of function that is introduced into the solution of a problem, and to which any value or form may at will be given, so that the solution may be made to meet special requirements.

Arbitrary quantity (Math.), one to which any value can be assigned at pleasure.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : arbitrary
Spanish: arbitrario,
German: willkürlich,
Japanese: 随意の
More Translations »

arbitrary 
1424 (in arbitrament), "deciding by one's own discretion," from L. arbitrarius, from arbiter (see arbiter). The original meaning gradually descended to "capricious" (1646) and "despotic" (1642).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Main Entry: ar·bi·trary
Pronunciation: 'är-b&-"trer-E
Function: adjective
1 : depending on individual discretion (as of a judge) and not fixed by standards, rules, or law arbitrary>
2 a : not restrained or limited in the exercise of power arbitrary government> b : marked by or resulting from the unrestrained exercise of power arbitrary arrest and detention>
3 a : based on preference, bias, prejudice, or convenience rather than on reason or fact arbitrary standard> arbitrary —K. A. Cohen> b : existing or coming about seemingly at random or by chance or as an unreasonable act of individual will without regard for facts or applicable law —often used in the phrase arbitrary and capricious arbitrary and capricious if the record afforded no substantial basis for such a finding —Irvin v. Hobby, 131 Federal Reporter Supp. 851 (1955)>
NOTE: Under section 706 of the Administrative Procedure Act, a court shall set aside an agency's action, findings, or conclusions determined upon review to be arbitrary. —ar·bi·trar·i·ly /"är-b&-'trer-&-lE/ adverb —ar·bi·trar·i·ness /'är-b&-"trer-E-n&s/ noun
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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